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rachelschloneger's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Suicide
inthetrees's review against another edition
4.25
this was very touching and sweet and yes i did cry a bit at the end. nora deserves the world she doesn’t know how smart and talented and kind she is fr!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
iloveyoutoad's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I did not quite enjoy this read. Even though the plot had potential, it became forced in my opinion. In addition to that, I did not expect AT ALL that this book would turn into “knight saves damsel in distress,” and it was a big turn off for me. The main character acted very annoying and, despite everything she did and her bad intentions, she gets her happy ending. I had my expectations greatly high in the beginning, so the twist made my reading process heavier. Plus, the suicidal talk was not introduced smoothly at all. I feel that such a sensitive and triggering topic should be dealt with more care.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
susannagledhillrecommends's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
allisonbraun's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Suicide
samanderson24's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
eleanormarierose's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This is the story of Nora who works in publishing. She is underpaid and takes up a side job to make ends meet. This however leaves her in a morally difficult situation.
For me, I just couldn’t gel with it. It took me weeks to get through it.
I found the plot somewhat unrealistic, especially introducing a slight touch of romance in what is predominantly a career/feminine fiction book.
[trigger warning] There was also a fleeting mention of suicidal thoughts which I don’t think was handled well.
I feel like I just had higher expectations for this book unfortunately. Obviously there were some relatable thoughts in the book as I work in publishing but besides that this book just wasn’t what I hoped for.
____
Favourite quotes:
‘Knowing she had a purpose beyond dull admin work was doing wonders for her self-esteem.’
‘Parsons’s official line was that low advances left room for aggressive marketing, and that this, combined with a decent royalty structure, ensured authors were fairly compensated. In truth, Parsons framed authorship as an act of generosity…The implication, Nora thought, was that writing a book expecting to profit from it would be ghastly.’
’She needed to be more than a three.’
’The impressing wasn’t new. She’d always known it, seen it, done it. The way people dressed up for author meetings, false smiles at the ready - it was standard for their line of work.’
’She couldn’t even feel proud about taking one step forward in search of happiness. Not when she had reason to fear where that step would lead her next.’
’The revenue from a book that was sure to sell gave publishers the freedom to take chances on less-marketable books, the ones that may not appeal to a broad audience.’
’The only thing more dangerous than a man with a bad idea was a man with the power to make it happen.’
‘I miss seeing books for what they are, instead of how much money they’ll make.’
‘Maybe some people are fine with doing something pointless for the rest of their lives, but I’m not. If my life is pointless, that’s not a life I want to live.’
‘It could absolutely be the wrong career for her. But that was true of anything. If she waited until she was sure, she would rot here forever, paralyzed by indecision…She had to try something. She had to start somewhere.’
‘Why had she relied on her unfulfilling job to give her the experience she needed for a fulfilling one?’
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
lindsks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
scocco32's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
16rcampbell's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
It was such a slog getting through this book. The main character Nora’s choices are so dumb and cringey. I understand doing things out of desperation but every choice she made was the wrong one, at some point I’m no longer rooting for her.
The love interest was flat, one-dimensional, and boring. He’s happy and positive all the time and that’s all there is to him.
Instead of being either (a) an escapist love story between a cynic and a perpetual optimist or (b) an in-depth commentary/exposé on the sexism, racism, and feelings of inferiority, insignificance and hopelessness inextricably tied into capitalism, this book forces you to experience the grueling day-to-day feelings of working in a mind numbing capitalist society in a way no different than what you’re already doing everyday. I don’t learn anything from this book and I don’t enjoy it - why is it worth reading? It’s not. This book is essentially too grounded in reality. It’s tiring - exhausting, really - and there’s no sense of triumph or success by the time you get to the end. I hardly feel like Nora grows at all. The love interest felt forced and kind of felt like click-bait. There was no spark between them.
My main issue with this book is that there is absolutely no warning or hint that the main character may struggle with (cw) suicide ideation. This book is presented as a happy, quirky story where a girl finds her way in life and might fall in love with handsome, caring man - right down to the bright colors and cutesie art style of the cover. It is not that at all. Had I known that, I would not have picked this book up. I found myself skipping several pages because the suicide ideation was written about at length, and it popped up frequently in the story. Not only that, but her suicide ideation is “resolved,” essentially, by one guy telling her to be happy and do happy things? If this story was meant to spread awareness or help with ending suicide, it should have included resources for people to go to, the main character should have been encouraged, at least ONCE, to go to therapy, and it would not have been presented in such a carefree manner. It is dangerous to have your character resolve her problems by relying on a single person’s input, which creates an unhealthy relationship dynamic and unrealistic expectations for anyone who reads this book and relates to Nora.
This story was irresponsible, but even if the suicidal ideation was excluded, it still wouldn’t have been worth a higher rating. The writing is monotonous, the main character is tragically boring, and there’s no payoff for reading.
The love interest was flat, one-dimensional, and boring. He’s happy and positive all the time and that’s all there is to him.
Instead of being either (a) an escapist love story between a cynic and a perpetual optimist or (b) an in-depth commentary/exposé on the sexism, racism, and feelings of inferiority, insignificance and hopelessness inextricably tied into capitalism, this book forces you to experience the grueling day-to-day feelings of working in a mind numbing capitalist society in a way no different than what you’re already doing everyday. I don’t learn anything from this book and I don’t enjoy it - why is it worth reading? It’s not. This book is essentially too grounded in reality. It’s tiring - exhausting, really - and there’s no sense of triumph or success by the time you get to the end. I hardly feel like Nora grows at all. The love interest felt forced and kind of felt like click-bait. There was no spark between them.
My main issue with this book is that there is absolutely no warning or hint that the main character may struggle with (cw) suicide ideation. This book is presented as a happy, quirky story where a girl finds her way in life and might fall in love with handsome, caring man - right down to the bright colors and cutesie art style of the cover. It is not that at all. Had I known that, I would not have picked this book up. I found myself skipping several pages because the suicide ideation was written about at length, and it popped up frequently in the story. Not only that, but her suicide ideation is “resolved,” essentially, by one guy telling her to be happy and do happy things? If this story was meant to spread awareness or help with ending suicide, it should have included resources for people to go to, the main character should have been encouraged, at least ONCE, to go to therapy, and it would not have been presented in such a carefree manner. It is dangerous to have your character resolve her problems by relying on a single person’s input, which creates an unhealthy relationship dynamic and unrealistic expectations for anyone who reads this book and relates to Nora.
This story was irresponsible, but even if the suicidal ideation was excluded, it still wouldn’t have been worth a higher rating. The writing is monotonous, the main character is tragically boring, and there’s no payoff for reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Toxic relationship
The main character has multiple consecutive pages talking about suicide and suicidal intent, and comes up unexpectedly in the story.